Now that I've introduced Charles Jenkins to the Queens Ledger community with my first blog a few days ago, let's start getting into some of the games that Jenkins and his Hofstra Pride have already played so far this season, as Hofstra traveled to South Carolina to open its 2008-09 season in the Charleston Classic.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

FRI 11/14/08

CLEMSON 98, HOFSTRA 69

HOFSTRA RECORD: 0-1

JENKINS SEASON AVERAGES: 21.0 pts, 4.0 reb, 5.0 ast, 5.0 to

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Hofstra's first game on Friday 11/14 wasn't pretty. The Pride was overmatched and got smoked by ACC foe Clemson (now 6-0 as I write this). Down 3-0, the Tigers scored the next 15 and never looked back. Despite committing 5 of Hofstra's 23 turnovers, Jenkins was impressive, scoring a game-high 21 points, shooting 6 of 14 from the field and 9 of 11 at the line (where Jenkins shot a team-best 78% last year). Jenkins however, got little help from his teammates who shot a combined 29% (15-52) from the floor and just 48% (10-21) from the charity stripe.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

SAT 11/15/08

HOFSTRA 71, WESTERN MICHIGAN 68 (OT)

HOFSTRA RECORD: 1-1

JENKINS SEASON AVERAGES: 20.0 pts, 5.0 reb, 3.5 ast, 3.0 to

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Hofstra rebounded quickly the next day to gut out a solid overtime win over a Western Michigan team which has been one of the best in the MAC in recent years, and which was the consensus preseason pick along with Kent State to challenge for another MAC title this year. Poor shooting game all around, including just 6-17 from the floor in 26 foul-plagued minutes for Jenkins, who had 4 personals. Amazing that Hofstra could win despite shooting just 29% (20-70) from the field, but that had a lot to do with Western Michigan making just 22 of 63 field goals for 35%. Jenkins is relying on the potential shooting help of two of three new JUCO transfers who began their Hofstra careers in this tournament (Tony Dennison, an All-America nominee and Long Island City native who arrived at Hofstra by way of Broward CC and hailing from Syracuse, 6-2 guard Cornelius Vines who played at Iowa Lakes CC before enrolling at Hofstra). Both struggled from the field against Western Michigan. Dennison only 5-18 and Vines was just 2-18 including 0-8 from three (I instantly thought of John Starks in Game 7 of the '94 Finals against the Rockets when I saw Vines' numbers, though I think John gets a bad rap for that; the Knicks never would have made it that far without him, and the way he was shooting the game before, I'm still positive, he'd have won a title for the Knicks on that left-wing three had Olajuwon not come all the way out to the perimeter to block it at the buzzer). But, I digress... Despite the shooting woes, Dennison still had 18 points, second only to Jenkins' team-high 19. Jenkins scored half of Hofstra's 12 points in the OT to seal it.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

SUN 11/16/08

HOFSTRA 76, EAST TENNESSEE STATE 75

HOFSTRA RECORD: 2-1

JENKINS SEASON AVERAGES: 23.7 pts, 5.3 reb, 3.7 ast, 3.7 to

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Hofstra wins a gut-check game against another solid mid-major for the second straight day, and for the second straight day, Jenkins played the hero. He finally got some much-needed help from sidekicks Dennison (13 pts, 5-10 fg) and Vines (16 pts, 5-12 fg), but Hofstra still needed every last one of Jenkins' career-high 31 points to eek out a one point win in the final seconds. Jenkins was at his best, refusing to allow Hofstra to lose. He shot 10-for-20 from the field and score the Pride's final eight points to turn a 73-68 deficit with 3:30 left into the narrowest of victories. Jenkins nailed a right elbow jumper to tie the game 75-75 with :58 left before hitting the winning FT with :01.1 left (he missed the second intentionally so that all ETSU could do was attempt a despreation 80-footer that missed at the final buzzer.

All in all, it was a successful season-opening tournament for Hofstra to walk away with a couple of wins after the blowout loss to Clemson. For his efforts, Jenkins was named to Charleston Classic All-Tournament team and was also named CAA Player Of The Week, picking up right where he left off with four different CAA Rookie Of The Week honors as a freshman.